The Purpose Driven Life
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The Purpose Driven Life (2002) is an advice book written by Christian author Rick Warren and published by Zondervan. The book has been on the New York Times Bestseller list for advice books for 174 weeks (as of May 2006). The book offers readers a 40-day personal spiritual journey, and presents what Warren says are Yahweh's five purposes for human life on Earth. As of November 2005, The Purpose Driven Life has been translated into 56 languages and was the bestselling book in the world for 2003, 2004, and 2005. It has won numerous literary awards[citation needed].
Since September 2002, over 30,000 congregations, corporations, and sports teams across the United States have participated in a "40 Days of Purpose" emphasis. A May 2005 survey of American pastors and ministers conducted by George Barna asked Christian leaders to identify what books were the most influential on their lives and ministries. The Purpose Driven Life was the most frequent response. The Purpose Driven Church, Warren's previous book, was the second most frequent response. The book has sold over 24 million copies (as of November, 2005).
After hostage Ashley Smith read Chapter 32 to her captor Brian Nichols (who shot four people in Atlanta on March 11, 2005), the book hit number one on several religion and advice best-seller lists - including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Publishers Weekly. However, this wholesome advertisement for the book was undermined in September of that year, when Smith admitted in her memoirs that she had also pacified her captor with crystal methamphetamine.
In 2005, The Purpose Driven Life was released in Chinese.
Contents |
[edit] Content
The book is intended to be read as a daily inspiration, with each of the forty short chapters read on consecutive days. Each chapter contains a personal application section at the end with a "point to ponder," a verse to remember, and a question to consider over the course of that day. Rick Warren described his book as an "anti-self-help book." The first sentence of the book reads, "It's not about you," and the remainder of the chapter goes on to explain how the quest for personal fulfillment, satisfaction, and meaning can only be found in understanding and doing what God placed you on Earth to do. The book's forty chapters are divided into six (6) major sections, with the following titles:
- What on Earth Am I Here For?
- Purpose #1: You Were Planned for God's Pleasure
- Purpose #2: You Were Formed for God's Family
- Purpose #3: You Were Created to Become Like Christ
- Purpose #4: You Were Shaped for Serving God
- Purpose #5: You Were Made for a Mission
[edit] Criticisms
In spite of its widespread use and endorsement, including Reverend Billy Graham calling it a classic devotional[citation needed], some in the Christian community have been critical of the book for various reasons. Jimmy Swaggart and John MacArthur criticized the book as "pop gospel." Others have expressed concern that Warren's methods do not adequately account for individuality, providing a one-size-fits all approach to spirituality. Many Christians have expressed concerns with The Purpose Driven Life and the teachings of Rick Warren for their 'Walmart-esque' business models, their humanistic worldview, Eastern philosophy and Mystical or New Age influences such as walking the prayer Labyrinth, Breath Prayers, Mantras, Chants, Hula Praise Dancing, Contemplative Repetitive Prayers and other practices considered by many Christians to be un-Christian and/or even of the occult, entering the church.
Another common complaint is that Warren fails to present the evangelical Christian gospel accurately--failing to accurately represent the nature of sin, repentance and hell and the blood sacrifice of God's son Jesus as the means to be forgiven by God for sins and allow man to have a relationship with God. Critics also frequently complain that The Purpose Driven Life contains many examples of inaccurate exegesis, and that it makes frequent use of loose and inaccurate paraphrases, as opposed to more faithful translations. Critics likewise contend that when citing Scripture, Warren jumps from one Bible version to another, cherry-picking whichever paraphrase or translation supports whatever point he attempts to convey, instead of relying on accurate Scriptural translations. Yet another common complaint pertains to Warren's statement that "Whenever God wanted to prepare someone for his purposes, he took forty days"--a claim which critics affirm to be both overly broad and contradicted by Scripture.
Secular criticism can also be found. For example, a series of Business Week essays claim that the business models of the mega-churches that follow Rick Warren's "purpose driven" model are based in real estate, not saving souls.
A source that discusses this in detail is http://www.fundamentalbiblechurch.org/Foundation/fbcAnalysis.htm
[edit] Other books by Rick Warren
- The Purpose Driven Church (ISBN 0-310-20106-3)
- Answers To Life's Difficult Questions (ISBN 0-9660895-2-9)
- The Power To Change Your Life (ISBN 0-9660895-1-0)
- What on Earth Am I Here For? Booklet (ISBN 0-310-26483-9)
- Personal Bible Study Methods (ISBN 0-9660895-0-2)
